5 Small Businesses That Are Killing It on Twitter

5 Small Businesses That Are Killing It on Twitter

From encrypted online storage to delicious steaks, some of today’s savviest small businesses are using Twitter to market their products. In this guide, digital media agency Custard Media looks at five small businesses that are killing it on Twitter.

Take an eccentric German entrepreneur, a bizarre police raid, and the perfect socio-political timing and you have MEGA. Created after (and in response to) the closure of file sharing website MegaUpload, MEGA is an online file locker that uses encryption to keep users’ data safe and secure.

Unlike DropBox and SkyDrive, which focus on traditional user acquisition methods, the team at Mega – led by founder Kim Dotcom – have used Twitter and other social networks to give out coupon codes and attract millions of regular users. The website also capitalised on the Edward Snowden revelations – that its ‘establishment’ rivals were being used for international surveillance – to its advantage in its marketing.

Brooklyn-based ALTER Clothing has used Twitter to reach thousands of customers in New York City and across the United States. The fashion brand, which has three stores in New York City, is constantly tweeting about new deals and promotions.

ALTER is a great example of how to use social media in a retail setting. Keep tweets short and simple, focus on building connections with your existing customers, and let word of mouth expand your audience for you.

After Twitter user Peter Shankman jokingly asked Morton’s Steakhouse for a free porterhouse at the airport, the company obliged. It sent one of its waiters to meet Mr Shankman at the airport, delivering him a fresh steak and several sides.

The story, which sounds unbelievable, is a 100% true and completely ingenious way of building a following on social media. Morton’s earned thousands of dollars worth of free press from the story, which quickly made the rounds on marketing blogs and TV talk shows.

Houston-based coffee shop Coffee Groundz uses Twitter to take orders without any pesky queues. The popular café also uses the social network to promote its latest menu items and promotions, such as student and senior special discounts.

The company claims to be the first café to take orders via Twitter – an achievement that we’re fairly certain is real. Highly efficient and certainly noteworthy, this cool order system gives the café a great perspective on helping people via social media.

In the fiercely competitive New York hotel industry, it takes a brilliant social media marketing strategy to climb to the top. The Roger Smith Hotel – a boutique hotel in Manhattan – used Twitter to beat its multi-billion dollar rivals at their own game.

By sending out special invitations to social media influencers, the Roger Smith Hotel managed to get exclusive media placements on some of the Internet’s top news and culture websites, giving it a significant increase in bookings.